£6.74Million Damages For Kidney Op Man

14 February 2011, 11:11 | Updated: 1 March 2011, 16:00

A man who nearly died during an operation to donate a kidney to his father has won £6.74 million High Court damages.

The 39-year-old - who can only be identified as XYZ - had paid "a very great price" for his generous act, Elizabeth-Anne Gumbel QC told Mr Justice Spencer in London.

While donating his right kidney in February 2008, he suffered irreversible left kidney failure which meant that he, in turn, needed a transplant from his sister.

XYZ's own life had been shortened by about 10 years and he had to suffer the trauma of dialysis, considerable health problems and the prospect of future deterioration with the inevitability of another transplant.

Liability was admitted by Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust on the basis that the surgeon, who is the subject of proceedings before the General Medical Council, was not only negligent but to a degree reckless.

But the Trust disputed the "potentially enormous" compensation involved - XYZ had claimed £14 million - particularly relating to loss of future earnings and medical expenses.

The judge said the consequences for XYZ, a dynamic and extremely hard-working professional and father-of-two, had been "catastrophic" - physically, psychologically, emotionally and financially.